Hang An English-only Sign On Florida, Callers Say

An overwhelmingly majority of callers to Sound Off Sunday and Monday said they support making English the official language of Florida.

Of 3,678 callers, 3,269 -- 89 percent -- said they favor English as the official language; 409 callers said they oppose it.

The percentage of support is higher than in January when Sound Off asked the same question, and 69 percent said they favor English as the official state language. Though Sound Off is not scientific, it can measure how intensely people feel about an issue.

Floridians will vote on this issue on the November ballot. They will be asked if they want to change the state constitution to make English the official language. The Legislature would decide which laws to change so that all government correspondence is in English.

Pamela Baker, 40, of Casselberry echoed the views of a lot of callers supporting the proposed amendment. ''Absolutely it English should be the official language. Give me a break. Anyone who lives here and is an official U.S. citiizen should speak the language.''

Roberta Hair, 51, of Orlando also said any immigrants should learn the language. ''It's aggravating when you work somewhere and they don't understand you.''

Steve Maxwell, 54, of Orlando said he supports the amendment because he's getting tired of ''seeing all the signs in the restaurants in Spanish and English.'' If they are going to have signs in Spanish, then they should have them in the other languages of people here from other countries.

Karen Cwirko, 40, of Orlando also thinks English should be the official language. Anyone who immigrates here should be taught the English language from the very beginning, she said. ''We are American citizens. It's their choice to enter this country. They should learn it just like if you go to another country and have to learn it another language.''

But Margaret Davis, 36, disagreed. The Winter Park resident said she is English and Spanish speaking and believes there is racism involved in the push for the constitutional amendment.

''Assimilation happens regardless,'' she said. ''That's what America is about.'' She said that many grandchildren of Cuban immigrants have difficulty even speaking Spanish today because of that assimilation.''

Hugo Kuze, 76, of Orlando said he opposes making English the official language because ''I don't think it's necessary. English is the official language already.''

Mike Fazzolare, 32, of Longwood also opposed the constitutional amendment, saying it was pointless. ''I just feel the problem won't be eliminated where it's most evident -- at the conversational level.''

George Riddell, 62, of Winter Garden said he doesn't like the amendment because ''it smacks of a bit of jingoism, of chauvinism. . . . I don't think it's really fair or necessary.''